Friday, January 15, 2016

Friday, January 15, 2016; Running The Wal-Mart Numbers; What's The Minimum Wage In DC?

Updates

January 17, 2016: Mark Perry chimes in -- Fallout from DC’s minimum wage law: Wal-Mart abandons plans to expand and the city’s restaurants shed jobs. I had not posted on the "restaurant job. What did Mark have to say about restaurants in DC?
[S]ome early evidence suggests that DC’s minimum wage law is having a pretty devastating effect on the city’s restaurant employment. Looking at the city’s monthly restaurant employment over the last decade and comparing DC food jobs to the surrounding suburbs in Virginia and Maryland, I concluded that: a) the city’s restaurants survived the Great Recession pretty well without any major job losses, especially compared to the loss of nearly 6,000 food jobs in the surrounding suburban areas, and b) the city’s restaurants are now facing a much bigger struggle following the city’s passage of a minimum wage law in January 2014 that will raise the District’s minimum wage to $11.50 an hour in less than six months.
At the same time, the DC suburban restaurants are booming with strong hiring last year of nearly 5,000 new food jobs that brought the area’s restaurant employment to an all-time high in November.
[However, there is] another perspective to the struggle DC restaurants are now facing.
In the five-year period between January 2010 and December 2014, DC restaurants were hiring an average of 187 new food workers every month. Last year though, restaurant hiring stalled out, likely due to rising labor costs, and the city’s food jobs fell by an average 21 every month in 2015 (through November). If jobs had continued to be added at the 2010-2014 rate of 187 per month, there would now be nearly 50,000 jobs instead of the current level below 48,000, which is a gap of more than 2,000 DC food jobs that weren’t created last year due most likely to the current $10.50 minimum wage along with the pending increase to $11.50 on July 1.
Add to that known damage of rising labor costs, the additional damage that could come from the successful passage of a $15 minimum wage ballot initiative scheduled for this November, and you’ve got an economic reality that just doesn’t support restaurant expansion in DC. The rising minimum wages in DC and around the country ultimately aren’t really so much about politics as they are more simply about “restaurant and retail math.” And that math of $10.50, $11.50 and $15 an hour labor costs just doesn’t work well for the profitability and survival of restaurants and retailers in a hyper-competitive industry with razor thin margins.
January 16, 2016: what's the minimum wage in DC? The Washington Post says "DC" is upset that Wal-Mart not building stores in their poor neighborhoods. After seeing what happened in Baltimore, do you blame Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart in DC poor neighborhoods? Crime magnets.
Walmart abruptly announced Friday that it was abandoning a promise to build stores in Washington’s poorest neighborhoods, an agreement that had been key to the deal allowing the retailer to begin operating in the nation’s capital.
The giant retailer cited increasing costs for the new projects and disappointing performance at the three D.C. stores it opened over the past several years. But news that Walmart would pull out of two supercenters planned for east of the Anacostia River, where its wares and jobs are wanted most, shocked D.C. leaders. In one case, the city had already committed $90 million to make a development surrounding one of the stores viable.
Evans said that, behind closed doors, Walmart officials were more frank about the reasons the company was downsizing. He said the company cited the District’s rising minimum wage, now at $11.50 an hour and possibly going to $15 an hour if a proposed ballot measure is successful in November.
He also said a proposal for legislation requiring D.C. employers to pay into a fund for family and medical leave for employees, and another effort to require a minimum amount of hours for hourly workers were compounding costs and concerns for the retailer.
Note that The Washington Post does not tell the reader that the family medical leave will be extended to 16 weeks. 16 / 50 = thirty percent of the year paid leave -- what a great deal.

January 16, 2016: obviously I'm wrong and The Wall Street Journal is correct but I still don't get it. Wal-Mart is going to close 102 Wal-Mart Express stores (a failed "test") and seven (7) stores in Puerto Rico. Big deal. Wal-Mart is going to open 170 "large" stores this year (the standard Wal-Mart store, the supercenters, and Sam's Club's).

Wal-Mart may end up with fewer US stores by the end of the year but it's footprint, measured in square footage that matters. If the Neighborhood Markets are 40,000 square feet, I assume the Express stores are about 20,000 square feet. Very few Markets are closing, and instead are going to open 95,000 more Markets, as well as 60 new supercenters which are about 180,000 square feet. Do the math. They're going to close 154 mostly-smaller stores; open 170 mostly-larger stores.

150 x 25,000 vs 170 x 100,000. Whatever.  4 million square feet being shut down; 20 million square feet being added. Poor performing / redundant stores being closed.

The real story is that the Wal-Mart Express failed. I was a strong proponent of the concept. I was wrong. My hunch is that Wal-Mart Express could never compete in upscale strip malls in major urban centers. Even the slightly larger Neighborhood Market in our neighborhood (Southlake, TX) will be closed with this announcements. Wal-Mart Express could drive out the competition in the small rural towns across Texas (Texas will see more Express closures than any other state) but the return on investment was not worth it. It's all about volume for Wal-Mart. Not much volume for these Express stores, even though the communities who had an Express Wal-Mart loved 'em.

Original Post 

Tweeting now: Ebola death confirmed in Sierra Leone, hours after World Health Organization declared West Africa outbreak over - BBC (tweeted on the evening of January 14, 2016)

 -- At least it's easy to treat  -- President Obama. 

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Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Tweeting early Thursday: Oklahoma Corporation Commission asks disposal well operators to reduce volumes following recent earthquakes.

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Wal-Mart Closures

Stated purpose of the closures: to become more nimble in the face of increased competition from all fronts, including from online rival Amazon.com.

Raw data from the AP.

In general:
  • company has 11,000 stores worldwide
  • more than 5,000 stores in the US
  • stores being closed account for less than 1% of Walmart's global revenue
154 stores in the US to close
  • of the 154 stores, 102 of them are Wal-Mart Express stores, opened in 2011, as a "test"
  • Wal-Mart Express stores never caught on; they served the same purpose as Wal-Mart's larger Neighborhood Markets
Breakdown of non-Express stores that will close:
  • 23 Neighborhood Markets 
  • 12 supercenters 
  • 7 stores in Puerto Rico 
  • 6 discount stores 
  • 4 Sam's Club stores  
Note:
  • more than 95% of the stores to close in the US are within 10 miles of another Wal-mart
  • Wal-Mart will now focus in the US on supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, e-commerce, and pickup services for shoppers (order on-line; pick up at local store)
In 2016 Wal-Mart will open:
  • 60 supercenters
  • 95 Neighborhood Markets
  • 10 Sam's Clubs 
The Drudge Report (based on placement of link) and local media outlets, as well as major business news  networks made it sound like retail was dead in the US, and that was the reason Wal-mart was closed 154 stores in the US.

When I look at these numbers, I see something completely different. The Wal-Mart Express stores, which account for 102 of the 154 closures, was a "test" and it simply failed; the return on investmnt simply did not meet Wal-Mart's expectations. If you subtract out those 102, one is left with 52 closures. Wal-Mart, in other words, is closing 52 stores that have been part of a network for decades. In its place, Wal-Mart is going to build 170 new, bigger stores.

I hardly see that as a "negative" story. Maybe I'm missing something. Ninety-five percent of the closing stores are within 10 minutes of another larger Wal-Mart store. This tells me that the area couldn't "support" two Wal-Mart stores, and, as for the workers, they will likely find jobs at the neighboring Wal-Mart store if they want. And some of those folks will actually have a shorter commute. Some a longer commute.

For all the press this story is getting, including this post, it's a non-story -- except to say Wal-Mart is expanding its footprint significantly.

Idle Chatter, Production/Well/Month -- Most Productive Fields In The Bakken

I did this quickly; the raw data has not been checked. If this information is important to you, go to the source. I was simply curious.

November, 2015:

Field
Pool
November 2015
Wells
Oil/WellMonth
Sanish
Bakken
1,634,833
595
2,748
Parshall
Bakken
1,216,024
412
2,952
Grail 
Bakken
890,762
159
5,602
Blue Buttes
Bakken
827,039
133
6,218

October, 2015:

Field
Pool
October 2015
Wells
Oil/Well/Month
Sanish
Bakken
1,668,275
595
2,804
Parshall
Bakken
1,305,390
412
3,168
Grail
Bakken
1,033,358
159
6,499
Blue Buttes
Bakken
897,820
132
6,802

Change in production, month-over-month (October-November-2015):

Field
October 2015
November 2015
Delta
Percent Change
Sanish
1,668,275
1,634,833
-33,442
-2.00
Parshall
1,305,390
1,216,024
-89,366
-6.85
Grail
1,033,358
890,762
-142,596
-13.80
Blue Buttes
897,820
827,039
-70,781
-7.88
Alger
811,004
810,710
-294
-0.04
Siverston
766,490
676,624
-89,866
-11.72
Antelope
760,264
899,713
139,449
18.34
Reunion Bay
744,333
697,938
-46,395
-6.23
Corral Creek
716,456
573,715
-142,741
-19.92
Heart Butte
678,512
676,313
-2,199
-0.32
Total
9,381,902
8,903,671
-478,231
-5.10

Top eighteen (18) oil fields based on oil/well/month of November:

Camel Butte
295,491
34
8,691
Long Creek
210,085
27
7,781
Patterson Lake
14,370
2
7,185
Bear Creek
189,258
27
7,010
Edge
26,020
4
6,505
Twin Valley 
81,689
13
6,284
Blue Buttes
827,039
133
6,218
South Fork
177,376
29
6,116
Antelope 
899,713
154
5,842
Springbrook
52,415
9
5,824
Spotted Horn
384,166
66
5,821
Grail
890,762
159
5,602
Sand Creek
413,068
74
5,582
Crazy Man Creek
242,356
44
5,508
Johnson Corner
170,092
31
5,487
Rattlesnake Point
95,032
18
5,280
Eagle Nest
399,202
77
5,184
Elidah
274,034
53
5,170

Vern Whitten's Page -- January 15, 2016

Wow, his favorites are quite amazing. Thank you very much, Mr Whitten. For readers, enjoy! I really enjoyed the Fargo and Bismarck images.

These are Mr Whitten's favorite landscapes. Again, I think they show a side of North Dakota most folks east of the Red River of the North are unaware of. I've seen "bale shadows" before; they are always very, very striking. The photos really are amazing as I go through them. The scoria roads to the well pads through the buttes: see Bully Pulpit. "East Of Keene" and "Extreme Green" were also very striking.

This link will take you to Vern Whitten's 500 lake photos, as well as all of his previous slides.

If you enjoy these, I'm sure Mr Whitten would love to hear from you:

Director's Cut -- November, 2015 Data Posted January 15, 2016

See disclaimer below.

Link here.

The Director's Cut is out, January 15, 2016, with November, 2015, data.

North Dakota oil production for the month of November increased by about 0.4%, almost a 5,200 bopd increase compared to the previous month, October, 2015.

Because so much is carried forward from previous posts, there are likely to be errors in previous data; I would go to the source if this information is important to you.

Top four producing oil fields in the Bakken at this link.

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Some data points of interest with regard to the Red Queen

Number of producing wells
  • November, 2015: 13,077 (preliminary, decreased from last month)
  • October, 2015: 13,190 (final revised, new all-time high) 
The number of well completions fell sharply from 43 (final) in October to 26 (preliminary) in November.

Daily oil production (bopd):
  • November, 2015: 1,176,314 (preliminary)
  • October, 2015: 1,171,119 (final, revised) 
  • Delta:  5,195/ 1,171,119 = 0.44% increase month-over-month
Daily well production: so, the number of completions falls sharply; the number of producing wells fell from 13,190 to 13,077; that represents a 0.86% drop, and yet the daily crude oil production increased
  • October: oil/well/day: 88.79 bopd
  • November: oil/well/day: 90.00 bopd
Director's Cut
November 2015 Data
November, 2015, data here.

I track the "cuts" here

Disclaimer: this update is always done in haste; typographical and factual errors are likely. This is for my use only. If this is important to you, you should go to the source


Note: facts and opinions are interspersed in the note below. Do not make any investment or financial decisions based on what is posted below; there will be factual and typographical errors. If this information is important to you, go to the source. 

The November data is posted at this link:

Important data points:
  • Today, pricing: $20.00
  • Bakken price in December: $27.57
  • Fracklog: 969 (6 less than at end of October, previous reporting period)
  • Completions: 26 (43 in October, 2015) -- wells continue to go  into SI/NC status
  • Statewide flaring: 16% (up a bit from 14% last month) 
Delta, crude oil production
  • 1,176,314 - 1,171,119 = 5,195
  • 5,195/ 1,171,119 = 0.44% increase month-over-month
Oil:  
  • November, 2015: 1,176,314 (preliminary)
  • October, 2015: 1,171,119 (final, revised)
  • September, 2015:  1,162,159 (final, revised)
  • August, 2015: 1,187,631 (final, revised)
  • July, 2015: 1,206,996 (final, revised) 
  • June, 2015: 1,211,328 (final)(second highest; highest was December, 2014)
  • May, 2015: 1,202,615 (final)
  • April, 2015: 1,169,045 (final)
  • March, 2015: 1,190,502 (final); 1,190,582 bopd (preliminary)
  • February, 2015: 1,178,082 bopd (revised, final); 1,177,094 (preliminary)
  • January, 2015: 1,191,198 bopd (all time high was last month)
  • December, 2014: revised, 1,227,483 bopd (all-time high)
Producing wells:
  • November, 2015: 13,077 (preliminary, decreased from last month)
  • October, 2015: 13,190 (final revised, new all-time high)
  • September, 2015: 13,036 (final revised -- new all-time high)
  • August, 2015: 13,031 (final revised -- new all-time high)
  • July, 2015: 12,965 (final revised -- new all-time high)
  • June, 2015: 12,868 (final revised -- new all-time high)
  • May, 2015: 12,679 (final revised -- new all-time high)
  • April, 2015: 12,545 (final revised -- new all-time high)
  • March, 2015: 12,443 (final revised -- new all-time high)
  • February, 2015: 12,199 (final revised -- new all-time high)
  • January, 2015: 12,181 (preliminary -- new all-time high)
  • December, 2014: 12,134 (preliminary, new all-time high)
  • November, 2014: 11,951 (revised); 11,942 (preliminary, new all-time high)
  • October, 2014: 11,892; revised 11,942 (preliminary, new all-time high)
Permitting
  • December, 2015: 98 (steep decline; new record)
  • November, 2015: 125
  • October, 2015: 152
  • September, 2015: 154
  • August, 2015: 153
  • July, 2015: 233
  • June, 2015: 192
  • May, 2015: 150
  • April, 2015: 168
  • March, 2015: 190
  • February, 2015: 197
  • January, 2015: 246
  • December, 2014: 251
  • All-time high was 370 in 10/2012
Pricing
  • Today, 2015: $20.00 (now lower than the previous low-point since Bakken play began was $22.00 in December 2008)
  • December, 2015: $27.57
  • November, 2015: $32.16
  • October, 2015: $34.37
  • September, 2015: $31.17
  • August, 2015: $29.52
  • July, 2015: $39.41
  • June, 2015: 47.73
  • May, 2015: $44.70
  • April, 2015: $38.33; $36.25 (lowest since February, 2009, and January, 2015) (all-time high was $136.29 7/3/2008)
  • March, 2015: $31.47
  • February, 2015: $34.11
  • January, 2015: $31.41
  • December, 2014: $40.74
Rig count:
  • Today: 65 - lowest since November, 2009, when it was 63 (all time high was 218 on 5/29/2012)
  • December: 65
  • November: 64
  • October: 68
  • September: 71
  • August: 74
  • July: 73
  • June: 78
  • May: 83
  • April: 91 (lowest since January 2010)
  • March: 108
  • February: 133
  • January: 160
  • December, 2014: 181
Director's comments[see source]
The number of well completions fell sharply from 43 (final) in October to 26 (preliminary) in November.
Drilling rig count
  • has decrease 15 so far in January, 2016; dropped 1 from October to November, 2015
  • dropped 3 from September to October, 2015
  • dropped 5 from June to July
  • dropped 5 from May to June
  • dropped 8 from April to May
  • dropped 17 from March to April 8
  • dropped 25 February to March
  • dropped 27 from January to February
  • dropped 7 from November to December
  • dropped 21 from December to January
  • dropped 23 from January to date of previous month's Director's Cut
Well completions:
  • November: 26 (preliminary)
  • October: 43 (final)
  • September: 123 (final)
  • August: 115 (final)
  • July: 119 (final)
  • June: 149 (final)
  • May: 116 (final)
  • April: 102 (final -- astounding drop)
  • March: an astounding 194 (final)
  • February: 42
  • January: 63
  • December: 173 (preliminary)
  • November: 48
Weather
  • no significant precipitation events
  • 5 days with wind speeds in excess of 35 mph (too high for completion work)
  • no days with temperatures below -10F
Wells waiting to be completed:  
  • At the end of November: 969 wells waiting to be completed; 6 less than at the end of October
  • At the end of October, an estimated 975 wells waiting to be completed; 105 less than at the end of September (per NDIC) -- 1,091 - 975 = 116
  • At the end of September, an estimated 1,091 wells were waiting to be completed; 98 more than the end of August (per NDIC)
  • At end of August, an estimate 993 wells waiting to be completed; 79 more than end of July
  • At end of July, an estimated 914 wells waiting to be completed, 70 more than at end of June
  • At end of June, an estimated 844 wells waiting to be completed
  • At end of May, an estimated 925 wells were waiting to be completed, no change
  • At end of April, an estimated 925 wells were waiting to be completed, an increase of 45
  • At end of March, an estimated 880 wells were waiting to be completed, a decrease of 20
  • At end of February, an estimated 900 wells waiting to be completed, an increase of 75
  • March, 2015, Director's Cut -- 825 wells -- an increase of 75-- January data
  • Previous Director's Cut -- 750, a decrease of 25
Flaring
  • capture target, current, January - December, 2015: 77% (had been 80%)
  • capture target, April, 2016 - October, 2016: 80% (had been 90%)
  • capture target, November, 2016 - October, 2018: 85%
  • capture target, November, 2018 - October, 2020: 88%
  • capture target, after October, 2020: 91%
  • flaring capture percentage in November: 84% (slightly down from October); percent flared 16%
  • flaring capture percentage in October: 86%; percent flared 14%
  • finally, the Tioga gas plant was down to 71% of capacity, well below the 85% capacity reported last month (and that was down slightly from previous month) capacity (92% last month; 90% prior; and, 93% previous to that)
  • the Lake Sakakawea gas gathering expansion project was approved, but it was approved too late for the 2015 construction season, resulting in a one-year delay.
Gas capture statistics:  
  • statewide: 84% (October 2014 target was 74%; CY 2015 capture target is 77%)
  • FBIR Bakken: 86% (same as last month)
Fracking policies/regulations: (see source linked above; way too much to post)